The Best FIFA Football Award, introduced in 2016, is an award ceremony to recognise the best male and female football players of the year.

This year's Best FIFA Football Awards were held in London, and Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, won the award for Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

Portuguese star Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi who have finished first and second in the last two years of the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year, missed this year's event.

Former Real Madrid and England manager Fabio Capello, criticised the duo for not attending the ceremony and called their non-appearance "disrespectful".

"It is a lack of respect, for the players, for FIFA and for the world of football. It is possible that they won too much and do not like to lose. In life you have to be good when you win and when you lose," said Capello.

Modric won the award after helping Real Madrid to their third successive Champions League trophy, and then lead from the front to take Croatia to the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Best FIFA Football Awards has received criticism from fans as players who featured in the individual awards, like goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Liverpool attacker Mo Salah, not making it to the Team of the Year.